I'm interested in hearing anyone's recent experience with K9 units in the Toronto area. I looked up some of the past threads and experiences seem quite mixed. How likely is it that you will be given the all clear and then later find that you actually had an infestation all along?? I've received a couple quotes from PCOs and it seems really expensive. If it's usually fairly accurate, I wouldn't mind paying for some peace of mind. I haven't found any bugs or casings, but my bf and I keep getting bitten at night!!

Also - is it possible that these k9 units (or PCOs in general) accidentally bring in bed bugs from another infested unit they visited earlier? I know that bed bugs don't typically travel on hosts, but k9 units are constantly exposed to infestations...am I being extremely paranoid???? I don't know if this is a legitimate concern or if all this fear is just turning me into a crazy irrational person.

I have handled a certified K-9 team for six years. The risk of the team transferring a bug i to your unit is extremely low. Remember a K-9 team is only needed to check out a low infestation. A dog is not needed for medium or high infestations because the physical evidence should be quite obvious. Therefore the risk is relative to the number of bugs present; low infestation = extremely low risk. Also a professional Handler always checks over their dog at the end of the job before kennelling. Remember also before hiring a team ensure they are certified, you can check their certification online. The two most common certifying agencies are: wddo.org and nesdca.com. Also should the dog alert ensure the team does indeed confirm the alert by looking for physical evidence "show me the bed bug".

My bf hired a k9 team today and they came into our unit to take a look. The dog did not alert to any bed bugs and they gave us the all clear. However, since I wasn't home I didn't get a chance to ask the handler what their protocol was to ensure that they wouldn't inadvertently bring in bed bugs from another infestation. My bf didn't ask...he did say that the handler came in without removing shoes which I definitely would have asked for if I had been home.

I guess my question is at what point should I consider myself bb free?? I've been driving everyone crazy since we started getting bitten. I haven't found any actual bugs, nor have I seen any fecal spots, but we've both been getting bitten. The handler suggested that it might be some sort of skin irritation since the bites seem to disappear fairly quickly. Is this possible? How likely is it that we both reacted the same way if it was a skin irritation??

What signs should I look for? Should I consider myself safe to go to other peoples homes/stay over??